Nostalgia vs. Melancholy — What's the Difference?

A bittersweet emotion where the past is romanticized.

A disposition toward being somber or mournful.

A longing for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

Reflective sadness or a gloomy state of mind.

Emotional state arising from memories of well-loved experiences or associations.

A feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause.

Fondness for the past often accompanied by sadness for its passing.

A deep, emotional state that is less intense than sorrow but more pervasive than sadness.

A sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.

A philosophical or thoughtful sadness.

Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word nostalgia is learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of νόστος (nóstos), meaning "homecoming", a Homeric word, and ἄλγος (álgos), meaning "pain" or "ache", and was coined by a 17th-century medical student to describe the anxieties displayed by Swiss mercenaries fighting away from home.

A feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause

A bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.

Having a feeling of melancholy; sad and pensive

The condition of being homesick; homesickness.

Sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom.

A longing for home or familiar surroundings; homesickness.

Pensive reflection or contemplation.

(transferred sense) A bittersweet yearning for the things of the past.

Black bile.

Homesickness; esp., a severe and sometimes fatal form of melancholia, due to homesickness.

An emotional state characterized by sullenness and outbreaks of violent anger, believed to arise from an excess of black bile.

A sentimental yearning to return to an earlier time remembered as happier or more pleasant, or a former place evoking happy memories; a longing to experience again a former happy time; as, a nostalgia for the brotherhood of the Woodstock music festival; a nostalgia for the comradeship of one's college friends.

Feeling, showing, or expressing depression of the spirits; sad or dejected.

Longing for something past

Causing or tending to cause sadness or gloom

Pensive; thoughtful.

(historical) Black bile, formerly thought to be one of the four "cardinal humours" of animal bodies.

Great sadness or depression, especially of a thoughtful or introspective nature.

(literary) Affected with great sadness or depression.

Depression of spirits; a gloomy state continuing a considerable time; deep dejection; gloominess.

Great and continued depression of spirits, amounting to mental unsoundness; melancholia.

Pensive maditation; serious thoughtfulness.

Ill nature.

Depressed in spirits; dejected; gloomy dismal.

Producing great evil and grief; causing dejection; calamitous; afflictive; as, a melancholy event.

Somewhat deranged in mind; having the jugment impaired.

Favorable to meditation; somber.

A feeling of thoughtful sadness

A constitutional tendency to be gloomy and depressed

A humor that was once believed to be secreted by the kidneys or spleen and to cause sadness and melancholy

Characterized by or causing or expressing sadness;

Many Romantic poets, such as Keats, often explored themes of melancholy in their works.

While generally positive, nostalgia can sometimes lead to sadness over the unattainable past.

People often express nostalgia by reminiscing or engaging with cultural artifacts from the past.

Engaging in meaningful activities and connecting with others can help alleviate melancholy.

Nostalgia is triggered by memories that are associated with happy times from the past.

Melancholy involves sadness but isn't always clinical depression, though it can be a symptom.

Children can feel nostalgia, often triggered by smells, sounds, or sights reminiscent of earlier childhood.

Philosophically, melancholy can deepen one’s appreciation for life's complexities and enhance artistic creativity.

Yes, some individuals may have a melancholic disposition, making them more prone to reflective sadness.

Nostalgia often involves smiling, laughter, or a warm expression when sharing memories.